Friday, May 31, 2013

May 31, 1945: Syrian/Lebanon Cause deep Concern

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MAY 31, 1945:


San Antonio Express

MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS—LEASED WERE SERVICE UNITED PRESS, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, NEW YORK TIMES

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, THURSDAY MORNING. MAY 31. 1945

 

 

 

Marines Raise Flag

Over Shuri Castle

Yanks Seek
To Encircle
Foe Survivors

By Associated Press

GUAM, May 31.—Leathernecks of the 1st Marine Division raised the American flag over Okinawa's Shuri castle at 1:45 p. m. Wednesday. Old Glory went up as marines on the west flank and doughoys on the east moved to encircle Japanese survivors in the; moated medieval forests.

 

Japs Squeezed
Into Mountains
On Mindanao

By Associated Press

 

MANILA, Thursday, May 31.—'

Japanese forces on Mindanao, pushed out of their Sayre highway positions in the center of the island and from Davao on the southwest coast, were being gradually compressed Thursday in largely unexplored mountain country.

The 31st Division was driving them eastward along the Kibawe-Talomo trial, the 24th Division forced them westward.

Foe .Slowly Weakens

A spokesman at General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters said enemy resistance was slowly weakening in the pocket between the Talomo and Davao rivers, but the 24th Division reported strong Nipponese forces still in its area. However, the best Japanese positions and weapons were gone, and fighting was less intense.

 

WAR DEAD MOURNED
THROUGHOUT WORLD

 

Bv Associated Press

Americans everywhere—at home, in the now . quiet European war areas and in the faraway Pacific battle theaters— paused Wednesday to mourn the military dead of this and past wars.

Parades, religious services and simple holiday ceremonies marked inthe observance of the 77th Memorial Day throughout the nation,
while overseas thousands of fighting men and women attended special services or visited cemeteries where their fallen buddies lie.

 

British May
Take Action in
Syrian Fight

By Associated Press

LONDON, May 30.—Foreign Sec. Eden told Commons Wednesday night that the British cabinet was in emergency session on the warlike situation in the battle-torn Syrian capital of Damascus where he said French-Arab fighting had caused "a serious  loss of life and destruction “of property."

With the situation in the Levant "greatly deteriorated," Eden said his government was "in actual –communication, with the United States government."

U. S. Deeply Concerned

In Washington Acting Sec. of State Joseph C. Grew said "developments in Syria and Lebanon in recent days are causing the United States government deep concern. We are employing every means to assist in finding a peaceful solution and preventing further bloodshed and disorder."

Thursday, May 30, 2013

May 30, 1945; Heart of TokyoTotally Burned:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MAY 30, 1945:


THE TROY RECORD

TROY, N. Y., WEDNESDAY MORNING MAY 30, 1945

 

Heart of Tokyo  Totally Burned;
Area Size of Bronx Lies In Ashes

 

U. S, Photos Reveal
Every Target Hit;
Bombs Nick Palace

Guam (AP)— -The heart of Tokyo has been wiped out by
fire, bombs dropped by American B-20s.  Maj. Gen. Curtis E.
LeMay Commander of the21stBomber squadron announced today.
More than 51 square miles surrounding the Imperial grounds are a mass of gray ashes, marking the site  of thousands of buildings and residenses that  housed factories of all types.
Here and there are blackened ruins of a' few buildings still
Stand.

(The burned-over area is nearly as large as the Bronx district of New York City. The 1940 census gives the Bronx area j as 54.4 square miles, including inland water.)

"We nave destroyed all of -the target areas we set out to destroy," General Le May said in disclosing this astounding damage from B-29 raids that reached their height last week, with two strikes of some 500 planes each that poured, thousands of tons'. of incendiary "bombs on congested areas of the city. As he spoke, bombers were returning from the latest strike on Japan, this time against industrial areas of -Yokohama.

Reconnaissance photographs showed Yokohama covered with great smoke clouds driven before a 'strong south wind which was sweeping fires through the city. One returning; pilot who described. the target area as a "ocean of fire" said he could sea

 Of smoke rolling north toward Tokyo.  While the cigar-chewing, youthful general talked, his aids pointed out photographs of areas of .destruction which spread in all directions from the palace grounds and up and down the waterfront of Tokyo Bay where much of the city's industry is located.

 

 

Yanks Seize
Naha; Reach
Shuri Castle

 

Guam (AP) Hard fighting United States Marines reached Shuri Castle, the former headquarters of the Japanese commander of Okinawa, yesterday and other leather-necks have occupied ail of the capital city of Naha north of the main harbor.

The all-out assault to completely crush the long held Naha-Shuri-Yonabaru line across southern Okinawa appeared to be under way as front reports told of some enemy forces in retreat southward.

Today's fleet communique, announcing the ground successes on the west coast and in the center of the line, also raised from 77 to 115 the number of enemy suicide planes destroyed Sunday night and Monday morning during attacks on

American .shipping. The planes sank one light naval unit and damaged 12 other Mustang fighters from Iwo Jima which escorted more than -450 B-29s in yesterday's 3,200-ton fire bomb assault on Yokohama, Tokyo's port, shot down 26 out of 140 interceptors, probably destroyed ten others and damaged 18, the communique disclosed. The loss of three fighter planes, one of whose pilots was
rescued, was acknowledged.

 

Yanks Regain
Manila Water
Supply System

 

Manila (AP) Capture of Wawa Dam on thy Marikina River northwest of Manila was announced today by Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

The 38th Infantry Division smashed into the Wawa sector Monday to take the dam and complete; American control of the vast water supply system for distressed Manila. Ipo Dam to the north "was captured several days ago.

General MacArthur also reported the 32nd Division had joined the 25th in captured Santa Fe, on the mountainous southern approach to the Cagayan Valley of northern Luzon, "bringing- to an end organized enemy resistance in this vital area flanking the main highway into the Cagayan Valley."

Heavy and-attack bombers and fighters dropped 521 tons of explosives in support, of the Luzon ground operations.

On Mindanao Island the 31st Division in the interior made deep, penetrations into enemy mountain positions east of Malaybalay and crossed the Pulangi River on the Kibawe wad leading to Yank-held Davao. .

In the Davao area elements of the 24th Division were closing in from three sides of the Japanese pocket between the Davao ' and Talomo Rivers.

 

The Abilene Reporter-News

 

"WITHOUT OR WITH OFFENSE TO FRIENDS OR FOES WE SKETCH YOUR WORLD EXACTLY AS JT GOES." – Byron

ABILENE, TEXAS, WEDNESDAY MORNING, MAY 30, 1945

Heart of Tokyo Destroyed
From Superfortress Raids

 

51 Square Miles in
Ashes, Photos Show

 

GUAM, Wednesday, May 30-(AP)—The heart of Tokyo has been wiped out by Superfortress firebomb raids, 21st Bomber Command headquarters announced today while squadrons of the B-29s were returning from an incendiary, assault on Yokohama, new target for the big planes.

Maj. Gen. Curtis E. Lemay, commander of the 21st Bomber command, said photographs showed that more than 51 square miles of-Nippon's capital, including areas surrounding the Imperial palace, lay in ashes as the result of six lire

Nearly 500 Superforts hit Yokohama yesterday in th8 biggest daylight aerial strike against Japan, igniting block after block of the port city with 3,200 tons of fire bombs.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

May 29, 1945; 100 SYRANS KILLED:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MAY 29, 1945:


THE LOWELL SUN

Lowell Mass. Tuesday May 29 1945

 

Soviet Issue Gets Spotlight;

We Move Into Mediator Role

Success of United Nations Efforts k> Preserve

World Peace Depends on Big Powers Now

By John M. Hightower

 

SANFRANCISCO, May 29. (AP)_A frank bid by Secretary of State Stettinius for closer relations with Russia focused American foreign policy on Soviet issues today and swung the United States toward the role of mediator among the great powers.

Events abroad and blunt words —' —were made even more clear that the success of United Nations efforts to preserve world peace will depend largely on the ability of the big powers to work together. This would have to be under selfimposed

restraints, since the organization being drafted by the United Nations conference imposes few restraints upon the top powers..

Stettinius summed this up in a defense of the veto voting formula by which each of the Big-Five nations could prevent a World Security council from using force against an aggressor. The question has been raised, he said, as to what happens if one of the Big Five—Russia, the United States, China, j Britain or France—"embarks upon a course of aggression and refuses  to recognize the machinery of the world organization?"

 

100 Syrians
Killed, 300
Wounded
Widespread
Fighting Against
French in Levant

BEYROUTH, May 29 (UP)—One hundred Syrians have been killed and 300 wounded so far in widespread fighting with French forces n the Levant, Jemil Mardam, acting premier of Syria, reported today.

Mardam said at Damascus that the crisis caused by an influx of French troops was "most grave."

Disorder and violence were wide spread in Syria and Lebanon, despite an apparent effort by the French to avoid trouble or keepit to a minimum.

 

Around the World Today

(Compiled from AP, UP, and INS) c

A navy department announced last night the cessation of
convoy operations formerly made necessary by German U-boat
activity. The announcement, made simultaneously in Washington and London, indicated that American and British naval authorities now have accounted for all German submarines which were at large when Germany capitulated. The submarines have been surrendering to both the U. S. and British navies.

________________________________

 

President Truman's championship of emergency payments up to $25 a week for displaced war workers today offered a major test of his influence in congress. Advocates of federal standards for unemployment compensation applauded his course but saw little prospect for the immediate action Mr. Truman called for yesterday.

___________________________________

 

The New American ambassador to Buenos Aires, Spruille Braden,
has been commissioned to make a special report on the steps Argentina has taken to line up with the United Nations, it was learned at the state department today.

______________________________________________

 

President Harry S. Truman's special envoy to London, Joseph E. Davies, was reported today to have dispatched a preliminary report to Washington on the progress of his conversations so far with British officials on a variety of problems relating to Europe.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

May 28, 1945; Enemy Abandons Shuri:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MAY 28, 1945:


San Mateo Times

SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, MONDAY, MAY 28,1945

 

JAPS RETREATING ON OKINAWA

 

 

Nips Abandon

Shuri, Key Fort

In Defense line

Air and Navy Guns Wipe

Out Some of Retreating

Units

 

Guam May 28, 1945 (AP)  Japanese units appeared today to withdrawfrom the fortress town of Brail after a fierce 38-day defense of the key fortress.

If the indicated withdrawal becomes a fall retreat it will have been forced by

the Seventh infantry division’s  breakthrough on  the east coast which has flanked Shuri, now threatens to cut it off from the rear.

 

Hopkins Has Second

Talk With Stalin

 

MOSCOW, May 28.—(AP)—Harry

Hopkins, personal representative of President Truman, talked again last night with Premier Stalin in the Kremlin, discussing for the second time in 24 hours common United States and Russian problems.

Foreign Commissar Molotov and United States Ambassador Averell Harriman listened in. Topics were not disclosed, but the atmosphere was declared most cordial.

 

Blood Flows in

Levant. Trieste

 

LONDON, May 28,— (U.P)~Dispatches from the Levant today reported bloody skirmishing between the French and natives at Horns and Kama, with an unspecified number of casualties on both sides.

The tension in Syria and Lebanon exploded m violence, according to Beyrouth advices, coincident with a report in diplomatic quarters here that President Truman

might be called upon to mediate the dispute.

LONDON, May 28.— (U.P)— A dispatch from Trieste today reported an exchange of gunfire between Yugoslavs .and Italian partisans in

(Turn to Page 2, Column 6)

The Udine area of Northeastern Italy. The United States army officers were reported investigating the Yugoslav- Italian clash at Podresca, 16

miles east of Udine. It was in this area and around Gorizia and Trieste

to the south that the friction between the' Yugoslavs and allied occupation forces centered.

The Trieste report said an American sentry suffered a bullet wound

in the ankle last night-when he-was attacked by unidentified assailants

near Gorizia. ~ . .

Marshal Tito's military mission in Rome was reported getting

ready to go home within a few days, regarding its task finished

Monday, May 27, 2013

May 27, 1945; TOKYO VIRTUALLY DESTROYED, STILL BURNING:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MAY 27, 1945:


The Antonio Express

 

MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS—LEASED WIRE SERVICE UNITED PRESS, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, NEW YORK TIMES

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAs7~SUNDAY^MoirNING, MAY ~27 1945

 

 

Wiping Tokyo From Earth

Costs U.S. Loss of 31 B-29s

Japanese Radio Admits

City Virtually Destroyed;

70-Mile Gale Fans Flames

 

by Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO, May 26. Japanese broadcasters said the "greater part" of Tokyo was burned out Saturday by American fire bombs, abruptly reversing their past policy of minimizing the effects of superfortress raids.

Tokyo radio accounts said the 'front building" in the imperial palace grounds was destroyed,

___________________________________

Japs See Tokyo Raid

As Disguised Blessing

By Associated Press

 

NEW YORK, May 28.—A Tokyo broadcast heard by the Associated Press listening post In New York today said that Premier Suzuki, admitting at an extraordinary cabinet meeting that the American raids had caused "considerable damage," urged the respective ministries affected by the raids to emphasize "construction" rather than "reconstruction" in restoring their operations.

"In other words," Suzuki said, "the damage, presently suffered might well prove ablessing in disguise."

___________________________________

 and that several outlying impeial palaces, the foreign, greater east Asia and transportation ministry buildings were in ruins.

The United States, Russian and German embassy buildings and the 'Swedish and Afghanistan legations all were burned down, said the broadcast -heard by the F,C.C.

 

BT Associated Press

GUAM, Sunday, May 27.— American Superfortresses air almost wiped out Tokyo, at a cost of 31 of the big planes in record pre-dawn fire raids

Thursday and Saturday, re ports today disclosed. The last undamaged areas of

the world's third largest city—the government and central businessdistricts—were reported in smoking ruins.

Conflicting broadcasts from Japan indicated the Imperial

________________________________________

 

 

Tokyo Still Blazing

9 Hours After Raid

GUAM, May 27.— While Tokyo radio complained bitterly about the effectiveness

of American firebomb raids, a lone B-29 slipped down through the overcast shrouding- the Japanese capital and saw "very large masses" of fire more than nine hours after Saturday's attack.

__________________________________________

 palace had suffered but there was confusion as to the extent.
The 20th Airforce announced at Washington that 19 B-29s were lost In Saturday's raid, the heaviest toll yet In the missions of the big bombers over Japan.

Twelve were lost in Thursday'! raid.
Some 500 Superfortresses flying from Marianas bases, participated in each raid. They were the largest fleets, of the mighty planes ever put in the air.
 

33 Japanese Vessels

Destroyed or Damaged
By United Press

MANILA, May 27.—American war planes, In new strikes from Shanghai to the Netherlands East Indies, lave destroyed or damaged 33 Japanese ships, while U.S.25th Division troops driving into northeastern Luzon have outflanked the enemy stronghold of Santa Ft, General Douglas Mac Arthur announced Sunday.All the ships were merchant vessels. The heaviest toll in enemy shipping was taken at the south Borneo port of Bandjermasin on the Java Sea, where 20 vessels were sunk or destroyed in a blazing, assault.

 
 

Sunday, May 26, 2013

May 26, 1945; Hirohito's Palace Reported Razed:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MAY 26, 1945:



THE RACINE JOURNAL-TIMES

RACINE, WIS., SATURDAY AFTERNOON, M A Y 26, 1945

 

Hirohito's Palace Reported Razed

 

Tokyo in Ruins,

Foes Report;

'Atrocity' Is Cry

GUAM.—(AP) — Super-Fortresses, carrying their fire bomb scourge to the heart of the enemy empire for the second time in.48 hours, by Japanese- account destroyed two palaces and left metropolitan Tokyo "literally scorched to the ground today." The attack was announced by Washington yesterday.

The 500-plane raid "practically laid waste what was once the world's third largest metropolis."the b r o a d c a s t reported.

The outer palace within t h e Imperial Palace compounds, as well as the Omiya Detached Palace were destroyed by fire." it added.

"Inhuman Atrocities."

 Stung by the strike into the very nerve center of the empire, Radio Tokyo diverged from a later recital of damages to declare the " enemy's inhuman atrocities" had increased the Japanese feeling of Hostility and ( they ) are firmly determined to fight to the last Japanese."

 

Enemy Believed Fleeing Naha/

Suicide Planes Attack U.S. Fleet

 

By WILLIAM F. TYREE

GUAM^(U.R) - U. S. Marines captured a sixth of Naha, shell-shattered capital of Okinawa, in a 500-yard advance today.

A front dispatch said t h e Japanese appeared to be abandoning t h e city for a final stand to the death in t h e fortified inland city of Shuri.

Enemy troop movements out of Naha east and northeast toward Shuri have been sighted, United Press. War Correspondent Edward Thomas reported from Okinawa.

Elements of the 6th Marine Division jumped off from t h e south bank of the  Asato River in northern Naha yesterday for the climactic assault on t h e capital. At

last reports, they were 800 yards from both Naha harbor and t he mouth of the Asato

 

 

Tarakan Japs

Counter-Attack

 

By H. D. QUIGG

MANILA.—(U.P) — Savage fighting raged today on Tarakan Island off Borneo as trapped Japanese t r o o p s counter-attacked with spears and rolled artillery shells down hills on the heads of Allied soldiers.
The Japanese, .compressed in t h e central hills of ' t h e island, were fighting their most primitive and desperate sort of battle against Australian and Dutch troops. The conquest of Tarakan virtually complete, with, all the island's major installation in allied hands but mopping up the remaining  was turning  into one of the dirtiest jobs faced yet.

Charge Brandishing Spears.

In counter attacks  one Japanese force charged Allied lines
Brandishing spears spears "like the wariors of centuries ago. In another action, small soldiers struggled to lift heavy .75 millimeter shells, then dropped them like giant grenades down steep hills on Allied troops below.